Five hospitals filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services in the US District Court for the District of Columbia Thursday over what they contend is a scheme to deny them reimbursement from Medicare for necessary medical services. The coalition, led by the American Hospital Association (AHA) …

A UN official said on Friday that a video [YouTube video; WARNING: graphic content] posted on the Internet of Syrian rebels executing government soldiers who had surrendered may be evidence of war crimes. Syrian rebels killed 28 government soldiers in attack around the town of Saraqeb on Thursday. The video appears to depict the rebels executing some …

Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday found former Ivory Coast president and alleged war criminal Laurent Gbagbo fit to stand trial. In August Pre-Trial Chamber I postponed Gbagbo's confirmation of charges hearing in order to determine if the former …

A controversial Russian Internet regulation law which gives the Russian government the ability to completely block access to certain websites went into effect on Thursday. The bill's stated purpose is to block access to child pornography and the encouragement of drug use or suicide. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticized the law, however, …

Wells Fargo claimed Thursday that a federal lawsuit filed by the US government to recover money from defective mortgages is barred by a settlement reached earlier this year. The government filed the lawsuit last month, alleging that Wells Fargo deliberately concealed the nature of mortgages that were insured by the federal government, ultimately costing the …

A Russian court on Wednesday reduced the sentence of the former business partner of jailed Russian oil executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky by three years. Platon Lebedev has been incarcerated since 2003 on various charges associated with his business partnership with Khodorkovsky. Khodorkovsky and Lebedev are each serving prison sentences for …

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases Thursday. In Chaidez v. United States the court heard arguments to determine if Padilla v. Kentucky applies retroactively to persons whose convictions became final before its announcement. Padilla held that the Sixth Amendment guarantee of effective assistance …

The UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) criticized Turkey on Thursday for prosecuting activists under the country's vague counterterrorism law. The UNHRC alleged that Turkey has gone against international law standards by denying due process rights under its 1991 Anti-Terrorism Law. UN rights experts allege that Turkey has been prosecuting activists, lawyers and journalists, holding them …

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General released a report Thursday criticizing US immigration courts as inefficient. Inspector General Michael Horowitz urged the immigration courts to use all resources available to maximize efficiency. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted an evaluation of the DOJ's Executive Office for Immigration Review to …